“Honestly, it’s difficult to say. I think it’s just because it’s taken that much time. Yeah, I can’t give you any more on it really. It’s one of those things with backs that, sometimes, you think it’s alright and then, all of a sudden, it’s not quite right. So, we’re just kind of being patient and working through it and we’ll just have to see. We’ll obviously give him time and try to get him back as quick as we can. But it’s really difficult to say. I am not trying to hide anything. Literally, at the moment, we don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
It’s one of those, I suppose, if he comes back, he’s not quite right, there’s a concern that you might be aggravating it, making it a lot worse than it currently is…
“Yeah, it’s like any injury, it’s trying to get the balance right. Some are a little bit more straightforward than others. Yeah, kind of it is what it is, really. Yeah, hopefully, listen, he’s improving, it’s not improving as quick as we all hope, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Michael, your record as United manager, some of the counterparts you’ve beaten, is incredible, really. There are probably Middlesbrough fans looking at that thinking, ‘Wow, we didn’t see that coming.’ Is there something about these games and taking on those managers and maybe the tactical shape of games at the very highest level, that you think is more suited to the way you coach?
“Not necessarily. I think we still won a few games in Middlesbrough in the time, it wasn’t so bad. No, I get what you’re saying. I think, yeah, a little bit on styles, a little bit on teams, a little bit on players, a little bit on moments in time, you know. And I’ve kind of been around here a long time, so feel I’ve got an understanding of what it takes really. But yeah, in some ways it’s difficult for me to answer that, you know, I just kind of go about the work that we do and we make the decisions, we try to set the team up in a way with the right feeling and the right ideas and what we think’s right. And, as of late, it’s gone well. Again, it’s a real balance between having the confidence in the group and believing in what we’re doing is going to be the right thing, but understanding that it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve cracked it, and getting carried away. So, I’m definitely one for keeping my feet on the ground and understanding that. Some of the games have been fantastic and we’ve managed to play against some good teams and really some top, top coaches and managed to win. But it’s always about the next one, really, and never looking back to what we’ve just achieved.”